Anti-junta rebels say they have driven government troops from a key border hub near Thailand. If the news is verified, it signals another setback for Myanmar's military as it battles a number of ethnic rebel groups. Troops loyal to Myanmar's military junta have pulled out from the town of Myawaddy at the Thai border after a dayslong assault by an ethnic armed group, a rebel spokesman said on Thursday. The fighting has caused large numbers of people to try to flee to neighboring Thailand from the border town, which is a major trading hub. Myanmar's military junta, which took power in a 2021 coup, has suffered a number of recent defeats at the hands of ethnic rebel groups and a civilian militia movement, with some saying it could soon be toppled. What do we know so far? Padoh Saw Taw Nee, a spokesman for the Karen National Union (KNU), told AFP news agency that around 200 junta soldiers stationed in the town had withdrawn to a bridge linking it to the Thai border town of Mae Sot. "We took [Myanmar military battalion] 275 at 10 p.m. last night," he said. The KNU said last week that its troops had attacked a junta camp near Myawaddy, forcing some 600 security personnel and their families to surrender. Thai immigration officials said some 4,000 people were entering Thailand daily from Myanmar, compared with the some 1,900 that usually crossed the border.  Thailand has said it is prepared to accept up to 100,000 people displaced by the clashes. The kingdom has stepped up security on its side of the border and is preparing to send more immigration officials to the region in anticipation of an increased flow of people fleeing the fighting. Myawaddy is a vital trading hub for Myanmar's junta and saw about $1.1 billion (€1 billion) in goods pass through in the past 12 months, according to the country's commerce ministry.    

At least 29 members of  Border Guard Police (BGP) from Myanmar have taken shelter in Bangladesh Amid the conflict between the Myanmar military and the armed rebel group in Rakhine state of Myanmar. The  BGP members have taken refuge in Bangladesh through the border area of Bandarban's Jamchari union under Naikhongchhari BGB's Battalion 11. Public relations officer (PRO) of Border Guard Bangladesh, Shariful Islam, confirmed the matter to the reporters. Earlier, at least 330 members of Myanmar armed forces including BGP, army personnel and immigration officials had taken shelter in Bangladesh in February.  However, they were sent back on February 15 to Border Guard Police of Myanmar.  

Pyongyang fired another 60 artillery rounds following the more than 200 fired the day before. Tensions between north and south have been escalating for months. The North Korean military fired more than 60 rounds of artillery close to a disputed maritime border with its southern neighbor on Saturday. "North Korean forces conducted artillery fire with over 60 rounds from the northwest area of Yeonpyeong Island today between approximately 16:00 and 17:00 (0700 to 0800 GMT)," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The barrage came a day after Pyongyang fired over 200 rounds of artillery in the same area. In both cases, the shells landed in a buffer zone set up between the two countries in 2018.   How did South Korea respond? Yeonpyeong and Baengyeong, which lie to the west of Seoul, have a joint population of less than 7,000 people. The islands' residents were ordered into shelters and ferries were suspended. The two consecutive days of artillery fire in the disputed region mark a further escalation on the Korean peninsula. South Korea's military said "the repeated artillery fire within the prohibited hostile act zone by North Korea poses a threat to the peace on the Korean Peninsula and escalates tensions." "In response, our military will take appropriate measures to safeguard our nation," it added. On Friday, the South Korean military responded to the artillery fire with its own rounds that were fired into the sea.   Increasing tensions Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang have reached their lowest point in decades, with the south pointing to provocations from the north. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pushed for the testing of advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles and enshrined the country's status as a nuclear power into its constitution. The launching of a North Korean spy satellite in November also led Seoul to suspend part of a 2018 agreement that had aimed to reduce tensions. The north has also reportedly been increasing its production of missile launchers, with Kim being cited by the state news agency KCNA on Friday as saying it was necessary "given the prevailing grave situation that requires the country to be more firmly prepared for a military showdown with the enemy."    

A Myanmar rebel alliance group has gained control of a key town along the country's volatile northern border with China after weeks of fierce fighting with junta troops, it said in a statement late on Friday. The "Three Brotherhood Alliance", as the group is known, said it took over Laukkai town after the military's regional headquarters located there surrendered. The fall of Laukkai is the latest victory in a sweeping offensive by an alliance of rebel groups that began in October and has become the most significant threat to Myanmar's military government since it seized power in a 2021 coup. "All Kokang (Laukkai) region has become a land with no Myanmar Military Council anymore," the statement said. A junta spokesman did not respond to calls from Reuters seeking comment.   The alliance comprises three groups with extensive fighting experience - the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Arakan Army (AA). They were accompanied by individuals from the loosely organized People's Defense Force, supported by Myanmar's parallel National Unity Government (NUG), suggesting that the rebellion is taking on an increased level of coordination and planning. Armed conflict between the military and rebel groups has surged in Myanmar's north since late October. Neighboring China, which has facilitated dialogue between the two sides, has called for a ceasefire.     The capital of Myanmar's restive Kokang region, Laukkai has a reputation as a gambling den and a hub for online scam operations. China, a key junta ally that also has close relations with some ethnic Chinese militias along the frontier, has grown increasingly frustrated in recent months by the Myanmar's junta lack of action on closing down the scam centers. At the start of their October offensive, the Three Brotherhood Alliance said their key objectives included cleaning up the scam centers. In late December, China urged its nationals to leave the Laukkai area, citing security risks. Laukkai is a former headquarters of the MNDAA.     The surrender of Laukkai "marks the first Regional Operation Command to fall," political analyst Ye Myo Hein said in a post on social media platform X. Myanmar's military has over a dozen regional operation commands spread across the country.   Source: Reuters  

Two border crossings on the Finnish-Russian border will be reopened to the public. However, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo warned that the entire eastern border could be closed again if necessary. Finland will reopen two border crossings with Russia on Thursday, the country's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced at a press conference in Helsinki on Tuesday. The main Vaalimaa crossing in southeastern Finland and the one at Niirala, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) to the north, will be reopened to traffic, but all other land border crossings will remain closed. All eight crossings between the two countries were closed by the Finnish government in late November to prevent asylum seekers from entering the country.   The border will be open for an initial period until January 14. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo also warned that the entire eastern border could be closed again if necessary. Orpo said that the restrictions have been eased in order to assess whether "there is a change for the better." "If the phenomenon continues, we will close these border crossings," he added. Sealed border amid migrant crisis Finland last month shut the Russian border until December 13 to block an increasing number of refugees from arriving in the Nordic nation in what the government and its allies said was an orchestrated move by Moscow. In the weeks before, the Finnish Border Guard had registered a sharp increase in the number of asylum seekers, mainly from the Middle East, who traveled from Russia without the necessary documents and applied for asylum in Finland.   Some 900 asylum seekers from nations including Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen entered Finland via Russia in November, an increase from less than one per day previously, according to the Finnish Border Guard. The arrivals stopped when Finland shut the border. Finland accused Russia of deliberately bringing these people to the border of the EU and NATO member state, which the Kremlin denied.   Finland discourages asylum seekers   The Finnish Ministry of the Interior has said that it is now only possible to apply for international protection at the eastern border in Vaalimaa and Niirala. However, it advised people not to travel to the Finnish-Russian border under the current conditions. Finland will ensure that migration across its eastern border will not be used as a means to put pressure on Europe, said Interior Minister Mari Rantanen.   Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer eastern border with Russia. The EU country joined NATO in April after decades of military non-alignment in the wake of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Moscow warned of "countermeasures" after Finland joined NATO.

A longstanding border dispute between the two Latin American countries has reached new highs recently. Venezuela claims the oil-rich Essequibo region in Guyana and last weekend staged a vote on its ambitions. Venezuela and Guyana are due to hold a high-level meeting in the coming days to discuss sovereignty over the oil-rich region, after the decades-old border dispute has been recently rehashed. The meeting will be held on Thursday in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Caribbean country's Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves announced. Brazilian President  Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will attend, at the request of the two quarreling countries. What do we know about the meeting? The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said in a Saturday statement that the high-level meeting follows separate phone conversations between President Nicolas Maduro, Moros and Lula and Gonsalves. The ministry said the meeting would aim "to preserve our aspiration to maintain Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace, without interference from external actors." Saint Vincent and the Grenadines currently chairs the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. In a letter to Maduro and Guyana's President Irfaan Ali, Gonsalves stressed the "urgent need to de-escalate the conflict and institute an appropriate dialogue, face-to-face." The Office of the President of Guyana confirmed Ali had agreed to the meeting, but added, "Guyana's land boundary is not up for discussion." In the phone call with Maduro, Lula said it was important to avoid unilateral measures that could escalate the situation. What has reignited the border conflict? Essequibo currently makes up around two-thirds of Guyanese territory and is home to around 15% of its population, with 125,000 Guyanese citizens living in the region. Venezuela has revived its territorial claim over the region after US energy conglomerate ExxonMobil discovered a significant amount of oil in Essequibo's offshore waters in 2015, transforming Guyana into  the world's fourth-largest offshore oil producer. Tensions rose after Maduro's government staged a referendum last weekend over Caracas' claim. Some 95% of the voters supported Venezuela declaring itself the region's rightful owner, according to official results; Essequibo's residents were not polled in the non-binding ballot. Since then, Maduro has started legal maneuvers to create a Venezuelan province in Essequibo. He has also ordered the state oil company to issue licenses for extracting crude in the region. Venezuela claims Essequibo is part of its territory because the region was part of its boundaries during the Spanish colonial era. International arbitrators in 1899 handed Essequibo to former British and Dutch colony Guyana, with the Guyanese government using this decision as its justification for control of the region.     Litigation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking a decision over the border dispute is pending. The ICJ had appealed to Venezuela to refrain from taking action that could influence the case on Essequibo — which Maduro ignored, pressing ahead with his non-binding referendum last weekend.

Despite weeks-long protests by locals, traders and political parties, the government has started the implementation of new visa regime on the Chaman border crossing with Afghanistan. In November, the national apex committee, comprising civil and military officials, decided that only those with valid passports and visas would be allowed to cross the border. Earlier, Pakistanis and Afghans would cross the border upon showing either Pakistani or Afghan national identity card. The decision led to a sit-in, with the protesters claiming it would hurt nearly 40,000 people who depend on daily border crossings for their livelihoods. Balochistan Inform¬ation Minister Jan Achakzai has confirmed the development and said the new rules have been implemented despite “pressure from different quarters, including political parties”. He said all arrangements were already in place for the new policy, and intending travellers were visiting passport offices in Chaman, Qila Abdullah and other areas for new passports. “The Chaman passport office has issued over 1,000 tokens to applicants who applied for the passport,” Mr Achakzai told Dawn, adding that 200 passports have already been delivered. The passport facilities have been improved, and more centres opened up for timely delivery, the minister added. He said a one-time permission has been granted to Afghans who arrived in Chaman on Tazkira to enter their country. Upon their return to Pakistan, they will have to show a passport and visa, he told Dawn. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund has initiated the distribution of productive livelihood assets to Afghan refugee families under a UNHCR-funded programme. Currently in its fourth phase, the programme is committed to empowering over 3,000 Afghan refugee families residing in six refugee camps in Nowshera, Quetta, Pishin, and Islamabad. Source: DAWN

For the first time since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, a group of people with foreign passports were able to leave Gaza and enter Egypt through the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday. By early evening on Wednesday, over 300 foreign nationals and people with dual citizenship crossed into Egypt, the AFP and Reuters news agencies reported, citing Egyptian officials. They are the first group to leave Gaza under a deal between Egypt, Israel and Hamas that was mediated by Qatar in coordination with the United States, Reuters reported citing Egyptian security sources and a Palestinian official.  US President Joe Biden said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that US citizens would be among those leaving Gaza on Wednesday, adding "we expect to see more depart over the coming days." Among the group were also four Italian nationals, five French nationals, and several German nationals, officials from the three countries said on X. At least 500 foreign passport holders are expected to cross into Egypt on Wednesday, Egyptian authorities said. Earlier in the day, a first group of injured Palestinians were also transported into Egypt and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. It was unclear exactly how many injured Palestinians were transported out of Gaza, with Egypt's Health Ministry putting the number at 16, while other Egyptian officials told AFP that 76 injured people had left Gaza through the border crossing.

A Pakistani drone with a suspected contraband item was recovered in a joint operation by the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police in Punjab's Tarn Taran district on Tuesday, said officials. The BSF said that on Tuesday around 11:28 am it intercepted the movement of a suspected drone near Village Wan in the district of Tarn Taran. "As per the laid down drill, BSF troops immediately reacted to intercept the drone," said a statement issued by the BSF. "Further, a joint search operation with Punjab Police was carried out. During the search at about 12:15 pm, a drone in broken condition along with one packet of suspected contraband items (Gross weight - 420 gm) wrapped with yellow adhesive tape, attached with a ring for hanging it with the drone and one battery (5000 mAH) of the drone was recovered from the farming field adjacent to Village - Wan, District - Tarn Taran," the statement added. The BSF officials said that the recovered drone is a Quadcopter of model DJI Mavic 3 Classic. There have been many Pakistani drones that crossed the border and entered India's Punjab and have been recovered by BSF. Last Sunday, The BSF and Punjab Police in a joint operation recovered a Pakistani drone in broken condition from Punjab's Ferozepur.

A Pakistani drone with a suspected contraband item was recovered in a joint operation by the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police in Punjab's Tarn Taran district on Tuesday, said officials. The BSF said that on Tuesday around 11:28 am it intercepted the movement of a suspected drone near Village Wan in the district of Tarn Taran. "As per the laid down drill, BSF troops immediately reacted to intercept the drone," said a statement issued by the BSF. "Further, a joint search operation with Punjab Police was carried out. During the search at about 12:15 pm, a drone in broken condition along with one packet of suspected contraband items (Gross weight - 420 gm) wrapped with yellow adhesive tape, attached with a ring for hanging it with the drone and one battery (5000 mAH) of the drone was recovered from the farming field adjacent to Village - Wan, District - Tarn Taran," the statement added. The BSF officials said that the recovered drone is a Quadcopter of model DJI Mavic 3 Classic. There have been many Pakistani drones that crossed the border and entered India's Punjab and have been recovered by BSF. Last Sunday, The BSF and Punjab Police in a joint operation recovered a Pakistani drone in broken condition from Punjab's Ferozepur.